Acyl anion equivalents, Michael acceptors

In 1976, Stetter extended the synthetic utility of the Breslow intermediate (1) as an acyl anion equivalent by showing that aldehydes could be coupled with Michael acceptors to generate 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds [55]. 

Thiamine-catalyzed transformations are reversible, thus TV,/V-dialkyl hydrazones were selected as alternative acyl anion equivalents that were reported to react with electrophiles without acidic activation.41 One especially reactive example, formaldehyde hydrazone resin 13, was constructed from polymer-supported hydrazines and was employed in the first polymer-supported, uncatalyzed acyl anion additions (Fig. 8).38 As test substrates, nitroalkenes (as Michael acceptors) and activated aldehydes were selected. Reactivity of these acyl anion equivalents depended critically not only on the nature of the starting hydrazine, but also on the protocol for hydrazine formation. 

Enethiols are reactive molecules and therefore useful starting materials in syntheses. They are acyl anion equivalents and good Michael acceptors. Addition of a thiol to the double bond, followed by Horner-Wittig reaction and then hydrolysis, constitutes a regioselective synthesis of a-sulphenyl ketones (equation 97). 

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